MAYA NJIE

Born in Västerås Sweden, Maya Njie (pronounced ‘Maia N-Jai’) moved to London in her late teens. Her background lies in surface design and photography, which she studied at the University of the Arts London. To further communicate her work, she began experimenting with the sense of smell as an added medium. Inspired by an old family photo album from the decades before her birth, Maya set out to capture, by way of scent, these moments in time, the tropes of familial life, set within their frames. What did it smell like? The small Swedish summer house surrounded by mercurial forests, the visits to her grandparents’ sparsely furnished flat on Sunday afternoons, Uncle Lars’ and Aunt Erene’s wedding. She sought to bottle the spirit connected to the classic 1970’s Scandinavian idyll, combined with the soul of her esoteric Gambian heritage.

Maya Njie Perfumes was founded in 2016. A niche perfume brand with a clear focus on high quality artisanal blends, the scents are deeply rooted in Maya’s Swedish and West African culture. All formulas are developed in-house, using a variety of essential oils, aroma compounds and resins. Making use of both naturals and synthetics in her creations - it’s nature and science combined. Ingredients such as musk and ambergris are synthetic substitutes and does not derive from its animal origin counterpart.